SAP Denies Big M&A Plans (Line56)

And disses Oracle into the bargain, expecting more of a challenge from emergent Chinese competition than from its closest actual competitor; a jab at Salesforce.com as well

IBM Positioned in Magic Quadrant for Product Information Management Software (Market Wire)

ARMONK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 02/24/2006 -- IBM today announced that Gartner, Inc. has positioned IBM in the visionary quadrant in its Magic Quadrant for Product Information Management, 2005.

Supply Chain Risk Management and the Avian Flu: Is Your Supply Chain Ready? (AMR)

I recently read an article in the New York Times entitled “Bird Flu Detected in Swans in Greece, Italy, and Bulgaria.” This is the first time the H5N1 avian flu strain has been detected in the European Union. Last week (February 8), it was reported that 40,000 domestic fowl died from the strain on a farm in Nigeria—the first time it has shown up in Africa. We learned December 30 that this virus hit Turkey and Romania, including 12 reported human cases in Turkey. Of note, 165 human cases have been reported to date, and Turkey is the first significant number outside Asia.

i2 Buys RiverOne (AMR)

The consolidation of the B2B e-commerce and supply chain markets continues, with i2 Technologies acquiring multitier supply chain management (SCM) vendor RiverOne. The price was not disclosed, but AMR Research believes the company was under pressure to sell from its backers, and netted less than $2M. Following last week’s acquisition of Viacore by IBM (see the AMR Research Alert article “B2B E-Commerce Consolidation: IBM Buys Viacore”), it is part of a trend we expect to accelerate over the next year as small supply chain vendors reach for—or are pushed to—an exit strategy.

Supply Chain Organization Success (Line56)

Three simple suggestions from AMR as to how to make your supply chain better

Ansys' Acquisition of Fluent Will Raise the Stakes in CAE (Gartner)

Ansys' Fluent acquisition will catalyze the computer-aided engineering (CAE) market's transition from analysis automation to the provision of multiphysics simulation and product life cycle management (PLM) support.

Buzzword: Product Life Cycle Management (PLM)

Mere SCM (Line56)

Even basic supply chain management software can reap great rewards; just ask Hampton

Enterprise Resource Planning Vendors Address Lean Manufacturing (TEC)

Intentia, Fujitsu Glovia, QAD, and SSA Global's solutions supporting lean manufacturing are examined. Which areas the extended enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendors excel in depends on their original ERP system's suitability for repetitive versus to-order environments.

Oracle outlines ambitious business software plans (USATODAY)

SAN FRANCISCO — Oracle laid out the fruits of its acquisition spree on Wednesday here, with details of an ambitious business software service for customers.

Fusion is a linchpin in Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's quest to unseat the top corporate applications company, Germany's SAP, in the $26.5 billion global market for software that companies use to run human resources, accounting and other business functions.

Sleepycat Acquisition Brings Oracle Open-Source DBMS (Gartner)

The acquisition of Sleepycat Software extends Oracle's experimentation with the open-source community, while strengthening its embedded database management system (DBMS) strategy.

Oracle Acquires Sleepycat (Line56)

Open source company brings aboard embedded database offering Berkeley DB; plenty of opportunity, says analyst

News Brief: SAP Presents Solutions and Trends with Strong Partners at CeBIT 2006

Oracle to lay off 2,000 people (San Francisco Chronicle)

Oracle detailed its plans to cut jobs in the wake of its $5.85 billion takeover of Siebel Systems, saying that 2,000 people -- culled from both firms -- will be let go.

Warehouse Intelligence (Line56)

How Hanson Logistics uses Provia to offer customers detailed information about inventory, orders, and movement

SAP Premium Support Offering Unlikely to Sway Users (Gartner)

SAP missed an opportunity to include key items in its new support offering. Users face new questions about SAP's plans to support ecosystem products, along with a 5 percent increase to the cost of maintenance.

Has SAP Nailed Plant Level Leadership with Lighthammer? (TEC)

At the end of June, SAP announced that it was delivering enhanced connectivity between the plant floor and the enterprise by acquiring Lighthammer Software Development Corporation (www.lighthammer.com), a privately-held supplier of enterprise manufacturing intelligence and collaborative manufacturing software, based in Exton, Pennsylvania (US). Lighthammer and SAP shared a vision of adaptive business networks (ABN), as illustrated by their longstanding partnership, during which Lighthammer was a premier “SAP Powered by NetWeaver” and SAP xApps partner. The company’s approximately sixty employees have reportedly remained in their current facilities, and have become a part of SAP America and SAP Labs. Mufson Howe Hunter & Company LLC, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (US)-based investment bank, served as financial advisor to Lighthammer on this transaction.

SAP ventures into on-demand software field (FT)

SAP announced its long-awaited move into the on-demand software business on Thursday, which analysts and competitors said could raise questions about the software company’s business model.

RedPrairie's Acquisition Binge: Snags Alta A/S and Marc Global Holdings (AMR Research)

The consolidation frenzy isn’t the dominion of just the big ERP vendors. In one week’s time and backed by Francisco Partners, Supply Chain Execution (SCE) suite vendor RedPrairie acquired two companies: Alta A/S, which will extend RedPrairie’s execution reach to automotive manufacturing, and Marc Global Holdings, a rollup opportunity in the broad Warehouse Management System (WMS) market. Terms were not disclosed.